Guangdong execs, biz owners seek offshore opportunities

Entrepreneurs and executives from Guangdong province are sparing no effort to expand cooperation with foreign counterparts and attract offshore orders as the country is optimizing its policies and measures to further boost economic vitality.

Zeng Zhitao, a senior executive from Bella (Guangzhou) Intelligent Information Technology Co Ltd, said that many private companies' confidence in increasing their presence in the world market has been enhanced after the country optimized its COVID-19 policies and measures which have helped smooth companies' logistics and further raised efficiency.

"A shipment used to arrive at destinations in two to three months previously but now it only takes one month," said Zeng.

"Meanwhile, many are encouraged after the central authorities introduced a series of policies and measures to boost the development of the non-State economy and equally treat private companies the same as State-owned firms at the Central Economic Work Conference held in Beijing earlier this month," he said in an interview with China Daily.

"The country's latest emphasis on supporting the development of private companies is injecting more confidence into business executives to expand in the world market in the months to come," said Zeng.

Guangdong provincial and Guangzhou city governments have also introduced a series of policies and measures to encourage local companies to explore the global market, said Zeng.

Earlier this month, 270 entrepreneurs and business representatives returned to Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, from Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, on a charter plane, with intent orders valued at more than $1 billion in their pockets.

The business executives from more than 140 companies in Guangdong, a major world production base, returned home after having discussed and exchanged views on expanding bilateral cooperation face-to-face at the 13th China-UAE Trade Expo, which took place in Dubai between Dec 19 and 21.

It was the largest overseas charter plane that has, so far, landed at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport in this southern metropolis, known as a millennium capital.

"Domestically made products are of high quality and welcomed by the world market, particularly among the Belt and Road Initiative markets," Zeng said.

"They are very confident in Chinese products and also recognize our brand," he said.

Zeng's company, which mainly produces health products, signed contracts to export five containers of items abroad during the expo.

Spurred by the contracts signed in Dubai, Zeng said his company will participate in a series of similar expos and trade fairs in the United States, Germany, Indonesia and Africa next year.

Zuo Lisi, deputy general manager of Dongguan Youngsun Paper Co Ltd, said she also gained a lot from face-to-face negotiations with customers during the expo.

In addition to attracting and closing deals, Zuo met many customers offline to discuss and exchange views on further advancing cooperation during the expo to jointly expand in the vast world market.

"We also gain insights into industry trends and discuss the broad prospects of the market with customers," she said, adding that her company signed letters of intent valued at $500,000 with customers for further cooperation.

According to Zhang Jinsong, director of the Guangdong Provincial Department of Commerce, his department will organize business delegations to attend a total of 100 expos and trade fairs abroad to help local companies further explore the world market and increase global presence.

"The goal of Guangdong's foreign trade industrial development is to make every effort to stabilize the global market share and construct Guangdong into a hub where high-end and quality products are produced and distributed," Zhang said at a news conference during the 2022 Global Investment Promotion Conference for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area held in Guangzhou's Nansha district last week.